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Sep 13 The Pros of Prometheus

I've never had a website before and I'm constantly amazed by what you can do with one when you own it. Do you know that you can see what people have searched for on your site? You probably do, but I didn't and I love seeing what ideas people are looking for. Sometimes they inspire me to write an entry so that if they come back, their search will be satisfied. Other times it makes me hope that the searcher returns and writes the contribution that they know is missing. I can also see how many times people have searched for something and therefore I get to see what is the most popular search.

The marketing man in me (who doesn't actually exist) keeps telling to to write what the people want. If I do that, they'll come back again and again. But the romantic in me keeps the door open and waits for them to return with their contribution. I still want to know why 'table' was searched for twice. Was it the same person frustrated by my lack of table, never to return. Or was it 2 people with the same table idea? I'll never know unless they fill out the contact form - was it you?

The most popular search by far though has been for Prometheus. He is already on my Books page for his mention in Edwin A. Abbott's Flatland, but I don't think that's what they were looking for. I have 2 more Prometheus entries up my sleeve - but I keep holding them back - I don't want to take something away from a potential contributor!

Prometheus is a popular figure in mythology and it got me thinking. He is a great figure for humans because he gives us hope of divine inspiration and intervention. People still believe that something bigger than us will come down to our level and raise us up. I think we like the ego-boost we get when we imagine Prometheus thinking that were were special enough for him to enact his literal deus ex machina moment. If we are special enough to help - that makes us special, right?

The cynic in me then thinks that what we like even more is that he is punished for helping us. He lifts us up and then ends up much lower than we ever were. And we just get on with our lives and ignore the fact that we only made it this far because we were helped by someone better than us. We choose to think that we are the equals of the Gods now and with Prometheus chained up on his rock - he can't come back and remind us that we owe it all to him.

Prometheus blurs that line between god and mortal because if we no longer need the help of the Gods, doesn't that make us the Gods? Is this an example of divine evolution? And if we are the Gods, will what we create hold the lowly position that we once held (according to the myth). And if that happens, will history repeat? Will someone or something show the lowly human creation the flame that will raise them up to our level? And if that happens, will the creation make the creator obsolete again?

And so on and on and on. Like a regenerating liver being eaten by an eagle.